Method and system for searching network resources to locate content

ABSTRACT

A process and system are directed to generating a medium without user involvement. A user makes a series of increasingly granular selections to specify the type of medium to be built, such as a webpage. A search engine conducts a search of networking resources to identify and collect content items that have a relationship to the user and that are relevant to the webpage selections made by the user. The content collection is performed automatically without any user involvement, beyond the user&#39;s initial webpage selections. The webpage is then constructed, using the collected content items to populate the components of the webpage. The webpage is customized to the user because its contents are developed based upon a search that reflects the targeting and collection of content items that are both related to the user and relevant to the user&#39;s webpage definition.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to an earlier filed U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 61/317,788, entitled “Dynamic Collaboration andDocument-Management Platform”, which was filed on Mar. 26, 2010, theentire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference andrelates to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/317,817, filed onMar. 26, 2010, and U.S. application Ser. No. 12/505,109, filed on Jul.17, 2009 and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/317,535, filed onMar. 25, 2010 and U.S. application Ser. No. 12/511,112, filed on Jul.29, 2009 and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/317,541, filed onMar. 25, 2010 and U.S. application Ser. No. 12/770,981, filed on Apr.30, 2010 and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/317,805, filed onMar. 26, 2010, and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/354,307,filed on Jun. 14, 2010 and U.S. application Ser. No. 12/770,981, filedon Apr. 30, 2010, and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/362,947,filed on Jul. 9, 2010, and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.61/370,574, filed on Aug. 4, 2010, and U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 61/370,584, filed on Aug. 4, 2010 and U.S. Provisional Ser. No.61/379,007, filed on Sep. 1, 2010 and U.S. Provisional Ser. No.61/379,049, filed on Sep. 1, 2010 and U.S. Provisional Ser. No.61/379,066, filed on Sep. 1, 2010 and each of which is incorporatedherein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a method and system for generating anelectronic medium, and, in particular, to a collection process,employing a search of network resources, that supplies user-relatedcontent for populating the medium, without user involvement.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A variety of technologies exist to generate electronic media such asinternet webpages. For example, an editor enables an operator to build adocument by structuring the format or layout of the webpage. The editoralso includes a functionality that allows the user to input informationfor use in populating the various webpage components with content.

Conventional editors are typical of the type of processes used to createelectronic media, requiring direct user interaction to guide the editingprocess, and, particularly, to assemble the content. For example, usersare responsible for determining the design of the webpage. However, inan even more cumbersome task, the user must also assemble the content ofthe webpage. This process typically requires the user to manually inputdata or at least make selections to specify what content is to be used.In any event, the burden rests on the user to direct, manage, andotherwise negotiate the entire array of tasks involved in creating awebpage.

What is needed is a system and method for enabling the creation of anelectronic medium, such as a webpage document, without user involvementor interaction. This user-independent creation process will determinethe format and layout of the webpage, for example, and assemble thecontent for populating the individual components of the webpage. Thesetasks—both the format design and content collection—are carried outwithout user involvement. In this manner, apart from an initialselection that the user makes to identify a medium for construction, theprocess for generating the webpage, including both the webpage formatdesign and content assembly, is performed independently of the user,e.g., automatically without further user involvement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a method for use in anetworking environment having a plurality of resources, where thenetworking environment includes a remote environment connected to alocal environment accessible to a user. The method is directed tocollecting content from the networking environment, and is particularlyadapted for use in generating a medium selected by the user.

The method includes developing content for the medium withoutinvolvement of the user in supplying content. The content developmentincludes identifying suitable resources in the networking environment.The content development further includes searching the identifiedresources. The searching includes determining whether any content in theidentified resources is relevant to the medium selection of the user.

In another aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a system for usein a networking environment including a remote environment connected toa local environment accessible to a user. The system includes an inputdevice configured to enable the user to selectably define a medium. Afacility is configured to develop content for the medium withoutinvolvement of the user in supplying content. The facility is configuredfurther to customize content to at least one of the user and the mediumdefinition.

In another aspect of the disclosure, there is provided acomputer-readable medium for use in a networking environment including aremote environment connected to a local environment accessible to auser. The computer-readable medium has computer-executable instructionsfor execution by a processor, that, when executed, cause the processorto: receive a selection made by the user specifying a medium; anddevelop content for the medium without involvement of the user insupplying content. The content development is further adapted tocustomize content to at least one of the user and the medium definition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to specific embodiments, presented by way ofexample only, and to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustration of a network environment for usewith the system to generate an electronic medium, according to theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustration of a system for building aelectronic medium;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the process implemented by the systemof FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustration of a system for conducting asearch operation to facilitate content collection;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the process implemented by the systemof FIG. 4;

FIGS. 6-11 are GUI (graphical user interface) screen shots depicting auser-interactive process for selecting a type of webpage forconstruction;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a system for building a webpage,showing in particular the elements of an exemplary search scenarioinvolving multiple sources of content;

FIGS. 13-25 are flowcharts showing the process for searching each of thecontent resources depicted in FIG. 12;

FIG. 26 is a diagrammatic illustration showing the communicationsprotocol, and particularly the exchange and flow of messages in aquery-reply format, that facilitates the collection of content toassemble the webpage; and

FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing the sequence of operations performed by aprocess to prioritize the results that are developed from the search forwebpage content.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, the illustrated network architecture 100 includes aclient or local environment 103, a remote environment 105, and a serverenvironment 104 interconnected via a network connection 102 such as theinternet.

Briefly, in operation, a user at client 103 accesses an applicationmodule or program that enables the user to select a type of medium to bebuilt, such as a webpage. The application module may be residentremotely at server 104 or locally at the client 103 (e.g., desktop). Forpurposes of discussion, and not in limitation, a webpage will bereferenced as the selected medium.

Once the medium is selected, an application is launched that conducts anautomatic process to collect and assemble content for use in populating,authoring, creating, and otherwise constructing the medium. The processfor collecting the content is done without user involvement, and so doesnot require the user to input content or otherwise participate in thespecific tasks pertaining to content mining and development. Anyresource can be consulted to provide content. For example, content canbe retrieved from the local environment 103 or remote environment 105.The application generates the medium (webpage), using the collectedcontent. The entire process for constructing the webpage—both thecollection and development of content and the design and formatting ofthe webpage—is conducted without user involvement or interaction.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the user at client machine 103 can access theapplication module for creating the selected electronic medium (webpage)in any conventional manner. For example, the relevant applicationsoftware can be downloaded from server 104, which is maintained by aservice provider of the application, or can be resident at clientmachine 103. Accordingly, the application can be downloaded and executedeither as a web application (running in the user's browser), or as adesktop application running on the user's operating system.

The client machine 103 can be provided in any suitable form, such as amobile laptop device 106, a personal desktop computer 108, or a cellulardevice 110. The client machine 103 is connected to internet 102. Forpurposes of discussion, it is considered that the webpage applicationresides on server 104.

The user interacts with client machine 103, which can connect to aremote machine 105. The remote machine 105 can be accessed via anysuitable form, such as a mobile laptop device 112, a personal desktopcomputer 114, or a cellular device 116. The remote machine 105 isconnected to internet 102. If the client machine 103 is implemented on acellular device 110/116, the server 104 can be accessed via internet102, or cellular network 118. Other types of network devices, inaddition to configurations 103 and 105, might be deployed in network100. For example, a PDA, an MP3 player, a gaming device (such as a handheld system or home based system), and other similar mechanisms that cantransmit and receive information, can be used.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, FIG. 2 illustrates a system 10 forcreating and otherwise authoring an electronic medium such as a webpage.The system enables the user to select the type of medium to begenerated, and then automatically constructs the selected medium. Inparticular, this automatic process collects relevant content forbuilding the webpage, designs the webpage (e.g., formatting andstructuring the layout), and then populates the webpage components withthe collected content, all without user involvement. FIG. 3 is aflowchart displaying the process for creating the electronic medium(webpage), as performed and implemented by the system of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 2, system 10 includes a manager unit 12 thatcoordinates and directs the operations of a medium selector 14, acontent developer 16, and a medium generator 18. In one form, thecomponents of system 10 are implemented in software as an applicationprogram.

The medium selector 14 is configured to enable the user to select thetype of medium to be created. For example, the mediums may include, butare not limited to, a webpage, blog, tweeter/tweet facility, an IM(instant messaging) facility, and a facebook application. It should beapparent to those skilled in the art that other electronic media andplatforms can be created. For purposes of promoting user interaction,any suitable mechanism can be employed to facilitate the mediumselection process. For example, a graphical user interface (GUI) canpresent a series of nested, drop-down menus that the user can navigatethrough to make increasingly granular choices regarding the desiredmedium.

The content developer 16 is configured to identify and retrieve relevantcontent pertaining to the medium selected by the user, implementing aprocess that aims to develop content for populating the components ofthe medium (webpage). A content collection and assembly unit 20 assistsin this process and can be implemented in any form suited to collectingcontent from electronic resources. Any type of suitable content can beused to create the user-selected medium. Further, content developer 16is capable of accessing any source of content suited to the task ofbuilding the medium.

The activities of content developer 16 are in part measured andregulated by the specific type of medium selected by the user. The taskof content developer 16 is to retrieve and otherwise collect contentthat pertains to the user-selected medium. For this purpose, manager 12coordinates the operations of medium selector 14 and content developer16 so that the content collection process performed by content developer16 is guided, controlled, and otherwise adapted to the user-selectedmedium. In this manner, the created medium (webpage) is tailored to theselected medium.

A feature of content developer 16 is that the process to collect contentis conducted entirely without the involvement and interaction of theuser. In this regard, the collection process is imperceptible to theuser. The content can thus be collected and assembled automaticallywithout prompting the user or soliciting input from the user.

Any type of content can be collected by content developer 16. Forexample, the content can include, but is not limited to, text, images,audio, graphics, and any other information or data deemed relevant tothe content development process.

Manager 12 directs medium generator 18 to generate the user-selectedmedium using the content collected by content developer 16. For thispurpose, medium generator 18 will include any facility known to thoseskilled in the art that enables any electronic media (e.g., webpagedocument) to be generated. For example, medium generator 18 can includean editor to facilitate the production, composition, and authoring of awebpage. This editor will provide suitable formatting of the webpageaccording to the specifications of the user (as entered via mediumselector 14) and populate the webpage with content furnished by contentdeveloper 16.

Referring to FIG. 3, the flowchart shows the process implemented bysystem 10 of FIG. 2 to generate a user-selected medium, using contentcollected without user involvement.

First, the user selects a type of medium that the user desires to havecreated (step 30). Next, content is collected for use in building theselected medium, e.g., populating the components of the webpage (step32). The collection process depends upon, and is conducted in accordancewith, the selected medium. In particular, the selected medium is used asa specification to fashion and tailor the search process to identifyrelevant content. Lastly, the selected medium is created, using thecollected content (step 34).

The method and system of generating a selected electronic medium, asshown in FIGS. 2 and 3, possess several features.

Regarding the production of a webpage document, for example, one featureof the creation process is that all of the elements, features,characteristics, and components that inhabit the webpage, i.e., contentand formatting, are determined without user involvement. While the userspecifies the type of medium, the components used to build and authorthe medium are determined without user input. For example, the formatand layout of the medium can be determined without user involvement.More notable, though, is that the content and other material forpopulating and building the webpage are determined without userinvolvement or input.

The user, in selecting the type of medium, also has the ability toselect other defining characteristics of the medium. For example, a userwho selects a webpage can also specify the subject matter of thewebpage. This medium definition guides the search process for collectingand developing appropriate content. The search process possesses twomain features. First, the content must be relevant to the subject matterof the medium, as indicated by the user in the medium selection process.Second, in a preferable manner, the content should bear somerelationship to the user. For this purpose, resources are identifiedthat contain information relating to the user. These resources aresearched for content that will populate the medium, or be used as thebasis from which derivative content is developed.

The facility to collect and develop content that is both relevant to theselected medium and related to the user has several benefits. A webpagecreated in such a manner is personalized to the user, in severalrespects. First, the search process for identifying content analyzesthose resources where information on the user is plausibly located. Forexample, such resources can include, but is not limited to, emailaccounts, browsing history, and other sources of the user's onlineexperience, behavior, or activity. Second, the search process istailored to the medium selection made by the user. For example,depending upon the subject matter chosen, the search will attempt tolocate items relevant to this choice. The overall search strategy, whichaims to identify suitable content, integrates these considerations intoan appropriate search scheme. In one form, the search strategy will betarget-specific, i.e., identify resources having user relatedinformation, and medium-specific, i.e., look for content within thesetargeted resources that satisfies a relevance determination vis-a-visthe chosen subject matter for the medium (webpage).

The result of such an intelligent search, combined with construction ofthe webpage using the content collected by the search, is a webpagecustomized to the user. The customization occurs in at least tworespects. First, the webpage is customized because the content wasobtained (or developed) from sources having a relationship to the user,and so is indicative of preferences, habits, tendencies, interests, orother such features, characteristics, or profiling of the user. Second,the webpage is customized because content was obtained (or developed)according to the medium definition, i.e., type of webpage, chosen by theuser.

The process undertaken to collect content is done without requiring anyparticipation, input, interaction, or involvement on the part of theuser. Once the user selects the desired medium, the content developmentprocess is automatically launched. This process performs the necessarysearch and retrieval operations to collect content, all without theinvolvement of the user. Any manner of content collection can beemployed. For example, content obtained directly from a resource havinga relationship to the user can be used to populate a webpage component.Also, content obtained from such resources can in turn be used as thebasis to develop further content, in a derivative or dependent mannerknown to those skilled in the art.

Further, any source of content can be accessed to determine theavailability of suitable content. For example, the user's localenvironment (e.g., desktop) can be searched. Also, digital assets andresources at a remote environment (e.g., servers) can be accessed andsearched for content.

The facility to generate a webpage, using content collected without userinvolvement, also permits the format and layout of the webpage to bedetermined without user involvement. Any means known to those skilled inthe art can be used that provides a mechanism for formatting a webpageor other electronic medium. In one form, the formatting instructions andspecifications can be archived and retrieved based on the mediumselection made by the user.

Additionally, a facility is provided to enable the user to review thegenerated medium (webpage) as a draft or proposed version, and makeadjustments and changes to it. This feedback process allows the user toadd, change, or delete content items, and also make changes to theformat. The adjustments or modifications are incorporated into themedium (e.g., an adjusted webpage is generated), and another reviewiteration takes place. Once the user confirms or validates the generatedmedium, it can then be published or made available for use and access.Alternatively, instead of requiring user validation of a proposedwebpage, the final version can be automatically created and published,without user involvement or approval.

Further, a facility is provided to facilitate continuous and ongoingmonitoring of the user's computing and internet space (i.e., contentresources) in order to determine if any of the published content haschanged and so requires updating, or if new content has developed. Ifso, a new medium (webpage) is generated with the updates. Thismonitoring process can occur in any suitable manner, such as at regularintervals or at the prompting of the user. The dynamic updating of thewebpage permits the most current content to be integrated into thewebpage generation process.

Additionally, in one form of the content development process, the searchstrategy for identifying suitable content will attempt to locate itemshaving a relationship to the user. For example, the content will meetpredetermined criteria, specifications, or requirements indicating arelationship to the user. In this manner, the content will be related tothe user. Sources of such related content could include, withoutlimitation, a user's online activity (e.g., historical online behavior,such as internet searches and sites visited) and other informationindicating the user's online experience. The proper content, then,satisfies both a relationship test (i.e., the content has a relationshipto the user) and a relevance test (i.e., the content is relevant to thetype of medium selected by the user).

The result of having such content related to the user is that theprocess for generating the medium is customized to the user.Specifically, a medium such as a created webpage is personalized to theuser, since the content that populates the webpage is derived fromsources having a relationship to the user. The facility to generate acustomized and/or personalized medium, which depends on the ability tofind content that is related or otherwise linked to the user, requiresan intelligent search strategy that addresses both the need to identifycontent resources containing information related to the user, and tolocate content that is relevant to the type of medium requested by theuser. FIGS. 4 and 5 depict a system and method to implement such asearch facility.

Referring to FIG. 4, system 40 is configured to facilitate the discoveryand retrieval of content that is both related to the user and relevantto the type of medium selected by the user. As such, system 40implements a search and retrieval process integrated into the overallcontent development process performed by content developer 16 (FIG. 2).In this manner, the generated medium is both personalized and customizedto the user. FIG. 5 shows a flowchart depicting the operations of thesearch strategy implemented by system 40 to locate the appropriatecontent.

System 40 includes a search engine 42 that functions as a searchmechanism for conducting an intelligent search of user-related digitalresources (assets) to identify and retrieve data useful as webpagecontent. The search mechanism has two main features.

First, search engine 42 executes a search strategy that identifies whatand where to search, i.e., search targets related to the user. Thesesearch targets will bear some relationship to the user, e.g., the user'semail account, internet search results, an inventory of web sitesvisited. The search strategy specifies both the general location ofcontent (e.g., desktop or remote server) and specific location (e.g.,email account).

Second, the search strategy executed by search engine 42 also implementsan evaluation process that determines whether information contained inthe search targets is relevant. The relevance determination takes intoaccount the relationship between the targeted information and the natureof the webpage that is being generated, as specified by the user'smedium selection. The relevance determination employs criteria such as astrength-of-association factor. For example, the search strategy can usea keyword search based on the type of medium selected by the user.

The search engine 42 employs an evaluation engine 44, cooperating withrelevance criteria 48, to perform the tasks needed to evaluate targetedinformation for relevance to the user's requested webpage. Theappropriate search criteria 46 are formulated and used by search engine42 to conduct the search, and eventual collection, of content. In oneform, the components of system 40 can be implemented in software.

Referring to FIG. 5, the flowchart shows the operations performed bysearch engine 42 to locate suitable content for building theuser-selected webpage.

The search process initially identifies relevant sources of content(step 50). For example, resources are identified that relate to theuser, such as email accounts and other assets associated or otherwiselinked with the user. In the process of identifying content resources, ageneral location of content is identified (step 52), such as a localenvironment (client machine or desktop) or remote host server, and alsoa specific resource target is determined within the general location(step 54), such as a user's email account.

Once the appropriate content resources are identified, search criteriaare assembled and formulated and the search of the content resourcetargets is conducted (step 56). Items of content identified by thesearch are retrieved (step 58).

The search strategy, and particularly the search criteria, can beformulated in any suitable manner known to those skilled in the art. Inone form, a conventional search based on keywords will be used. Thekeywords will be developed depending upon the type of medium selected bythe user.

Next, the retrieved content items are evaluated to determine theirrelevance to the type of webpage requested by the user (step 60).According to this evaluation operation, content items that are deemedsufficiently relevant are considered eligible for populating thewebpage, while other items having an insufficient degree of relevanceare discarded (steps 62, 64, 66).

The requested webpage is then generated, using the eligible contentitems to populate the content space and the various content-relatedcomponents of the webpage (steps 68, 70).

It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the processesundertaken to identify sources of content related to the user and toevaluate the content for relevance can be integrated together into aseamless, combined operation. For example, the evaluation function canemploy a keyword search based on the type of webpage requested by theuser. In conventional fashion, the targeted resources are analyzed usingthe keyword search to determine any content items meeting or otherwisesatisfying the matching criteria of the keyword search.

Referring now to FIGS. 6-25, there is shown a series of views to depictan illustrative working example of the process for generating a medium(webpage) requested by, and customized to, the user. FIGS. 6-11 show asequence of graphical user interface (GUI) screen shots to depict themanner in which a user can request and select a particular medium to becreated. FIGS. 12-25 illustrate the search process for collectingcontent to build the requested webpage. FIG. 12 is a block diagramillustration of a system for building the webpage, showing a moredetailed inventory of the various sources of content. FIGS. 13-25 areflowcharts detailing the process that is carried out to search each ofthe content resources identified in FIG. 12. The GUI views are generatedby an application launched by the user that controls and directs theoverall management process to create the requested medium.

Referring first to FIGS. 6-11, the user is prompted to enter criteria(user selections) to specify the desired medium or platform to begenerated, in this case, a webpage. The GUI windows in FIGS. 6-11 areshown in an ordered progression or sequence following an order thatdepends on selections made by the user in a prior window.

Upon initialization of the application at the user's device, the user ispresented a window allowing the choice of the type of medium. FIG. 6shows the top-level window of this medium selection sequence. FIG. 7shows the next window with the list of available mediums in a dropdownmenu. FIG. 8 shows that the user has selected a webpage, and that theapplication is now querying the user for further specifications, i.e.,the type of webpage. FIG. 9 depicts the next window showing the dropdownlist of items available for selection when creating a webpage, e.g., theuser can direct the production of a webpage relating to sports,business, personal, or arts.

FIG. 10 depicts the next window when a sports webpage has been selected,and displays an additional choice of topics in a dropdown menu tofurther specify the type of sports webpage, e.g., football, fantasyfootball, baseball, or wrestling. FIG. 10 shows that the user hasselected the fantasy football category for a sports webpage. FIG. 11depicts the next window with further options under the fantasy footballcategory, e.g., NFL, college, or high school. FIG. 11 shows that theuser has selected the category of fantasy football, with a subcategoryof NFL, as the type of football sports webpage to be created.

FIGS. 6-11 provide a succession of dropdown menus that present to theuser additional and more detailed options to further define the type ofwebpage to be created. In this manner, the menus offer increasinglygranular options for specifying the medium. The user is thus able, viathe sequence of listed options, to further customize, in a controlledmanner, the type of medium to be generated.

At this point, the user reaches the end of the selection process, and isqueried for further action, namely, to create the medium as specified orcancel the operation. For this purpose, two buttons exist on the bottomof the window. By pressing the “Create” button, the window is removed,and the application creates the medium using the input from the user inthe dropdown component. By pressing the “Cancel” button, the applicationends.

Assuming that the user has chosen to press the “Create” button, theapplication begins the process of creating the medium utilizing theuser's available data, obtained via the content development process, inorder to customize the created page and then present it to the user.

For instance, as in the above example, since the user has chosen tocreate an NFL fantasy football league webpage, the application willattempt to determine any NFL teams that the user is interested in. Byidentifying such NFL team(s) of interest to the user, the applicationbecomes more intelligent. The application is thus able to tailor, cater,customize, or otherwise adapt the resultant webpage to the interests ofthe user.

The application can attempt to determine the user's personal interestsby examining various sources of content. This universe of contentresources may include, but is not limited to, the following:

-   -   ads that have been served to the user's email program;    -   ads that the user clicked on;    -   searches requested;    -   groups that the user is a member of;    -   emails that the user sent or received;    -   calendar events that the user is subscribed to;    -   historical surfing habits;    -   current location of the user;    -   online games that the user has shown interest in;    -   DVR;    -   live video streaming/IPTV;    -   web based shows; and    -   GPS (Cellular).

A common feature of these content sources is that they all bear somerelationship to the user. In this manner, the webpage is constructedwith content related to the user, enabling the webpage creation processto be customized to the user.

One way to use the history of the user's online surfing experienceinvolves examining the history on the user's computer. All web browsersretain Internet surfing information in the form of cache files, orcookies stored on the user's computer. These files can be scanned todetermine information that will aid the application in creating adynamic webpage.

Other methods can be employed to gain an understanding of the user'sprevious Internet surfing history. Google and Yahoo, for instance, offerservices that users can utilize to perform email capabilities, managegroups, search the web, manage advertisements, manage calendaractivities, manage documents, as well as many other services known tothose skilled in the art. Data associated with these services can beintegrated into the process to identify content suitable for populatingthe components of the created webpage.

Referring again to the example of creating a fantasy football webpage,the application, during the ensuing process to identify suitablecontent, looks through the user's previous surfing history anddetermines that the New York Giants NFL team webpage has been visited,for example. It then picks the top ranked New York Giants players as thetop picks for the page. Using this methodology, other teams are foundand the application builds a fantasy football team.

The application can also derive content based on the location of theuser, further tailoring the created page. The location of the user canbe found using different methods of conventional form. One way is tocompare the IP address to a broad geographical location. This method maynot give an exact location, but should provide an approximation of thelocation. Another method is to examine the search history, groupsjoined, and ads appearing near the emails or searches performed, lookingfor any address information. For instance, in one scenario, assume thatthe user is creating a fantasy football webpage, but has chosen“College” in the dropdown menu in FIG. 11. Using the location of theuser, the application can create a webpage based on the South EastConference (SEC), if information is obtained from the content searchshowing a user location within the SEC coverage area.

Such location-specific information can be derived from the features ofads either proposed to the user or activated by the user, as indicatedby the content of ad-related content resources archiving historical datashowing the user's experience with ads. The facility to examine contentresources such as ads for information relating to the user, and use itto derive relevant content, provides the ability to automatically createa webpage based on ads that have historically appeared near the user'sinformation.

The application can continue to monitor the user's information andprovide updates to the created page reflecting changes in the user (forinstance, the location, or other interests). For example, if the user'sinformation indicates interest in a high-school team (perhaps the userhas moved to a new town, the user's son has joined the team, forexample), then the fantasy football page can be updated accordingly. Theuser then has a chance to merge the teams, not accept the high schoolteams (the team from the local town and all the other teams they playagainst are used as the basis for the high school FF league), add moreteams, and remove teams, for example.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 12-25 to further describe the process forcollecting content.

Once the application is started, the user goes through the GUI windowsas above (FIGS. 6-11), selecting the criteria for the desired medium.The user then selects the “Create” tab to begin the process ofcollecting data on the user from both the local and remote systems, asillustrated by FIGS. 12-25.

FIG. 12 shows that the user's selection of a webpage directs thecomposition of criteria specifying the type of webpage (“Select Criteriafor Webpage”), e.g., an NFL fantasy football sports page. This criteriadefines specifications for determining whether content is relevant tothe creation of the requested webpage. The criteria can be incorporatedinto or represented by search-type keywords. FIG. 12 shows variouscontent resources that will be searched to find relevant content. Theseresources have already been identified as having a relationship to theuser.

FIGS. 13-25 are flowcharts showing the process for how each contentresource is interviewed or examined to determine if relevant content ispresent.

Referring to FIG. 13, which is directed to ads that have been served tothe user, a check is made to determine if the user has an internalapplication that serves ads. This would be a local application used todeliver ads to the user. If there is a local application, the list ofserved ads is queried for the presence of keyword(s). The applicationwill then query the remote system's list of ads served to the user usingthe remote data server that is internal to the remote system, e.g., aGoogle server. In either case, the results of the query are returned tothe application for further processing, namely, to become part of thecontent space for populating the webpage.

Referring to FIG. 14, which is directed to ads that the user hasactivated, the local file system (cookies and temporary internet files)is searched for advertisements that the user has previously clicked. Therelevant ad websites are searched based on keyword(s) and the results ofthe query are returned to the application to serve as content to buildthe webpage.

Referring to FIG. 15, which is directed to searches requested by theuser, the local file system (cookies and temporary internet files) issearched for the internet searches requested by the user. The history ofwhat the user has searched for is stored in the Internet history storedon the local computer. The search history is searched based onkeyword(s) and the results of the query are returned to the applicationto serve as content to build the webpage.

Referring to FIG. 16, which is directed to groups that the user is amember of, a check is first made to determine if the user hassubscriptions to an online group's application (i.e., Google, or Yahoo).If the user does not subscribe to an online group, the process returns,since all group applications are online. If the user does subscribe toan online group application and is the current owner or member of agroup, the group's data is searched by querying the remote system's(Google or Yahoo, for instance) data of groups wherein the user is anowner or member. The remote data server that is internal to the remotesystem may be searched. The result of the query is returned to theapplication to serve as content to build the webpage.

Referring to FIG. 17, which is directed to emails sent or received bythe user, a check is first made to determine if the user hassubscriptions to an online email application (i.e., Google, or Yahoo).If the user does have an online email application, the email is scannedfor keyword(s). This functionality would be internal assuming that theapplication resided in the Google or Yahoo application, or any otheronline email provider. If the user does not subscribe to an online emailapplication but uses an application that stores the history of theemails locally on the user's local system, the application scans theemails on the local computer. Any conventional developer application canbe used to scan mail folders that are stored on the user's localcomputer. The result of the query is returned to the application toserve as content to build the webpage.

Referring to FIG. 18, which is directed to the user's calendar events, acheck is first made to determine if the user has subscriptions to anonline calendar application (i.e., Google, or Yahoo). If the user doeshave an online calendar application, the calendar items are scanned forkeyword(s). This functionality would be internal assuming that theapplication resided in the Google or Yahoo application, or any otheronline calendar provider. If the user does not subscribe to an onlinecalendar application but uses an application that stores the history ofthe calendar items locally on the user's local system, the applicationscans the calendar items on the local computer. Any conventionaldeveloper application can be used to scan calendar folders that arestored on the user's local computer. The result of the query is returnedto the application to serve as content to build the webpage.

Referring to FIG. 19, which is directed to the user's surfing habits,the local file system (cookies and temporary internet files) is searchedfor the internet surfing history of the user. The history of the user'sInternet surfing is stored in the Internet history stored on the localcomputer. The Internet history is searched based on keyword(s) and theresults of the query are returned to the application to serve as contentto build the webpage.

Referring to FIG. 20, which is directed to the user's location, thecurrent IP is sought from the local system, and the approximate locationis obtained using the IP address. The geographic location can bedetermined from the IP by utilizing external services like hostip.infoand other similar services. After the approximate location isdetermined, this information is then used to scan the local file systemto determine a more exact location by scanning through the cache andtemporary internet files. This location is returned to the applicationto serve as content to build the webpage.

Referring to FIG. 21, which is directed to online games of interest tothe user, a check is first made to determine if the user hassubscriptions to an online gaming application. If the user does have anonline calendar application, the gaming data is scanned for keyword(s).This functionality would be internal assuming that the gamingapplication resided in the Google or Yahoo application, or any otheronline gaming provider. If the user does not subscribe to an onlinegaming application but uses an application that stores the games locallyon the user's local system, the application scans the gaming data on thelocal computer. Any conventional developer applications can be used toscan various folders that are stored on the user's local computer. Theresult of the query is returned to the application to serve as contentto build the webpage.

Referring to FIG. 22, which is directed to DVR programs requested by theuser, a check is first made to determine if the user has subscriptionsto an online DVR service. If the user does not subscribe to an onlineDVR service, the process ends, since all DVR services are online. If theuser has an active subscription to an online DVR service application,the DVR data is scanned for keyword(s). Depending on the provider of theDVR data, the data can be made available by an external API provided bythe company of the DVR application. If no API is available, the data canbe obtained by various websites wherein the DVR subscription resides.The result of the query is returned to the application to serve ascontent to build the webpage.

Referring to FIG. 23, which is directed to live video streaming and IPTVprograms requested by the user, a check is first made to determine ifthe user has subscriptions to live video streaming or IPTV. If the userdoes not subscribe to a live video streaming or IPTV, the process ends,since all video streaming is online. If the user has an activesubscription to an online video streaming or IPTV service, the recordedand scheduled data is scanned for keyword(s). Depending on the providerof the live video streaming and IPTV data, the data can be madeavailable by an external API provided by the company of the live videostreaming or IPTV application. If no API is available, the data can beobtained by various websites wherein the live video streaming or IPTVsubscription resides. The result of the query is returned to theapplication to serve as content to build the webpage.

Referring to FIG. 24, which is directed to web-based shows requested bythe user, the local file system is searched for data pertaining to anyweb based shows that the user may have stored. The data is then scannedbased on keyword(s) and the results are returned to the application toserve as content to build the webpage.

Referring to FIG. 25, which is directed to GPS data on the user, thelocation of the user is received by utilizing GPS on the user's mobiledevice. Applications residing on mobile devices can utilizelocation-based services, as the devices that contain GPS provide APIsthat allow interaction for location based services. The location isreturned to the application to serve as content to build the webpage.

Referring now to FIG. 26, a schematic diagram is shown depicting anillustrative message flow carried out to perform the tasks foridentifying content that is both related to the user and relevant to therequested medium (webpage).

The user has access to laptop 604, containing the associated temporaryinternet files 602. The user inputs the criteria desired for the webpagevia a GUI (612). Once the user confirms the medium selectioncharacteristics (e.g., NFL fantasy football webpage) and launches thewebpage creation application, a query is made on the local system toexamine the user's cookies and temporary internet files (616). The localfiles are searched for data depending on the particular algorithmutilized, namely, based on a determination of what local contentresources have been deemed to be related to the user. The response tothe query is received by the application (628).

Another query is made to the Internet to query the remote system for theuser's data (614). The particular user's data that is queried depends onthe particular algorithm utilized, namely, based on a determination ofwhat remote content resources have been identified as related to theuser. This query is forwarded across the internet to the remote location(618), and, if needed, a remote data server is queried (620). Theresponse to the query is forwarded back to the application (622, 624,and 626).

At this point, content has been collected from the local and remotecontent resources. The application then creates a proposed webpageutilizing responses received from the local and remote data query (630).The user has the opportunity at this point to accept or deny theproposed components in the webpage (632).

To facilitate ongoing modifications and updates to the webpage, theapplication will initiate another query of the user's local and remotedata at intervals determined by the user, or automatically as abackground process (634). The parameters to enable the updating of thecreated page are based on different aspects of the user's experience. Ifdesired, the settings can be set by the user via a GUI or can be set asinternal parameters to the application without the need for the user'sinteraction. Some of the possible update triggers that can be set are:time since last update; and, changes in any of the content resourcesutilized to gather data on the user, for example, a change in locationof the user, a change in ads that the user has interest, and new groupsthat the user has created or joined.

Messages 636-648 reflect the message flow of the application queryingthe local and remote systems for the updated user data. The user thenhas the opportunity to accept or deny the components proposed on theupdated webpage (650). In different forms, the application canautomatically accept either the created page or the updated page withoutthe need of the user to validate the components included in the page.

As seen in FIG. 26, the mechanism for interacting with the contentresources, in order to identify content related to the user and relevantto the requested webpage, involves a query-reply messaging format. Thetechniques and processes for conducting a search of the content areembedded in the query communication. Although a query-reply format isshown, it should be apparent that any suitable communication or exchangemay be used to facilitate the search and retrieval of content.

The following example will further illustrate how the query-reply formatis used to retrieve content.

A user runs the application in order to create a Blog to promote aninterest for political discussion regarding the proposed overhaul of thehealthcare system. The application is started and in the dropdowncomponents of the window, the user selects “Blog” as the type of mediumto be created. The user selects “Political” as the type of blog, and,finally, selects “Healthcare” as the subcategory of the blog. The“Create” button is pressed and the application begins processing. Inparticular, the application attempts to gather data regarding the user'sinteraction with political views on healthcare from the local and remotesystems. The search criteria, for purposes of determining the relevanceof content, are related to the user's political views on healthcare.

The application may conduct an exchange with the local system to searchfor suitable content. For example, in querying the local system, theapplication returns the following emails from the user's email accountin the local file system:

-   -   7/20/2009 2123 From: “joe.diddle@gmail.com” To:        “bill.jenkins21@gmail.com” Subject: “What do you think about        Obama's new healthcare agenda?” Body: “Let me know if you are        going to be watching the program tonight. I'm anxious to find        out if he will talk about the 748 plan.”    -   7/18/2009 0634 From: “suzannes233@gmail.com” To:        “joe.diddle@gmail.com” Subject: “Joe” Body: “Joe, I was thinking        about throwing a party for us all to view Obama's speech        Wednesday. We could all talk about the healthcare proposal        after. Suzanne”

In response to this exchange, the application sends an email to the userrequesting that an email be sent out to the above people to add them tothe blog. A draft body of the email is generated that can be customizedby the user. This draft email serves as content developed from theoriginal content discovered in the targeted content resource, namely,the user's email account.

The application may further query the local system to find the user'sapproximate location using the current IP address. The application canextrapolate the user's location via a domain-location mapping. Thelocation, for example, is the North Dallas area. Using this location asthe basis for formulating a relevant search, the application queries theinternal data server for any political groups that may exist in thenoted area. The result of the query returns the following:

-   -   a. Google group “dfw.politics” with the following URL:        http://www.google.com/url?q=http://groups.google.com/group/dfw.politics    -   b. Google group “Dallas Home Health Care” with the following        URL:        http://www.google.com/url?url=http://groups.google.com/g/61e7fdb6/t/fb287c98e7ec4058/d/a2f526d6feb247f4%3Fq%3Ddallas%2Bpolitical%2Bhealthcare%23a2f526d6feb247f4&ei=nQRpSr7KHeXllQfB2tHXDg&sa=t&ct=res&cd=5&source=groups&usg=AFQjCNHfyO5GgADBK2TCLQ7PXGbdDfD1sw

These Google groups and their URLs are added to the created webpage as adropdown component, wherein the Google groups are clickable links in thedropdown list. The user's GPS location, then, yields search criteriathat the application uses to develop content, namely, the Google groupsand their contact information.

Additionally, a search using the GPS data can lead to the discovery of aDallas Morning News website found in the temporary internet files of theuser's local system. The application brings in the link to the blog areaof the Dallas Morning News(http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com), adding it to the list ofcomparable blogs in the dropdown component. This link serves as contentdeveloped from the GPS data.

Further, a search based on the GPS data can help identify an ad clickedon Texas Senator John Cornyn that is found in the temporary internetfiles, which discusses a political advertisement on the healthcareoverhaul. The Senator's webpage (http://cornyn.senate.gov/) is added tothe webpage in a component entitled “Interesting links” wherein the URLsare listed and are clickable. Again, this link serves as contentdeveloped from the GPS data.

Referring now to FIG. 27, the flowchart illustrates a process toprioritize the results obtained from the search of the contentresources, according to another form of the invention.

First, the search results are received (80). The search results includea plurality of content items obtained from a diverse range of resources.Each content item is then ranked according to a ranking or ratingstrategy (82). For example, each content item can be assigned aparticular weight (84). The weight assignment reflects the relativerankings among the content items.

The weight-based ranking strategy implements a priority scheme thatprioritizes the content items. One purpose of prioritizing the contentitems obtained by the search is to organize the content items with aview towards facilitating the orderly generation of the webpage. Sincecontent items are ranked, the decision on which item to use to populatea certain webpage component, particularly when there are several itemsall competing to be chosen, is determined by the comparative rankings.

Once the content items are prioritized, the webpage is built (86). Thewebpage components are populated with the weighted content items, sothat the appropriate content items are used based on the priority set bythe respective weight assignments. The priority scheme orders thecontent items according to any suitable indicia of ranking, such as avalue determination, and consequently serves to determine which contentitems to use, and in what order, in populating the webpage.

The process set forth in FIG. 27 is implemented in order to foster thecreation of a medium using content that is meaningful and that possessesa certain value to the user. For example, one aim of the process tobuild the webpage is to populate it with content reflecting the highestlevel of relevance to the user. Content should be developed that has themost meaning or value to the user.

One indicia of value involves a temporal characteristic, e.g., the datethat content was developed. The notion here, using the date of contentorigination to rate its value, is that newer content more accuratelyreflects the interests, behavior, tendencies, and other such activitiesof the user, compared to older content. Since the search results maygenerate content directed to the same webpage component from differentresources, some mechanism is needed to differentiate among them todetermine which item of content to deploy in the webpage.

A priority scheme addresses this need, according to another form of theinvention. In one exemplary priority scheme, the user's data resultsfrom the user's local system (e.g., cookies and temporary internetfiles) can be weighed against the user's data results returned from theremote system. The weighing system ranks the content items, and thusdetermines the priority of the results.

When obtaining the user's data, the latest data (with the most currenttimestamp) can be given a higher weight than older data. For example,one ranking strategy can be based on the observation that informationfrom the local system is more relevant, and hence more valuable, thaninformation from the remote system, because the local environment ismore frequently visited by the user and hence receives more regularinteraction from the user. A priority scheme can be formulated thatreflects this judgment, placing more weight (a higher ranking) on localdata than remote data.

Table 1 below demonstrates a weighing system that can be utilized todetermine which data is most useful in populating the various webpagecomponents. The table reflects a priority scheme that ranks the contentitems based on the source of the content item (local or remote) andexpresses a judgment on whether the local or remote environment providescomparatively more valuable information for the particular category ofcontent.

TABLE 1 Local System Remote System Ads clicked 2 4 Ads served 1 2Requested 2 4 Searches Groups 4 4 Joined/Created Emails 5 5 CalendarEvents 5 5 Surfing 6 2 Location 7 2 Games 2 2 Video 4 2 GPS 7 2

In Table 1, for example, the rankings for items obtained from the user'ssurfing history indicate a higher value is placed on results from thelocal environment. This differential reflects the fact that the localenvironment receives more regular traffic from the user directed toonline surfing, and hence will archive more recent (and thereforerelevant) surfing history. By comparison, content pertaining toadvertisements (Ads clicked and Ads served) that is developed from theremote environment will receive a higher ranking since advertisementsare more likely to be produced and serviced by remote internetresources.

Weights are assigned according to the validity of the information foundin the particular resource. The validity is a measure of the value,meaning, or significance of the content relative to its use inpopulating the webpage with the most pertinent content, e.g., contenthaving the strongest relationship or association to the user, so thatthe webpage represents the highest degree or customization and/orpersonalization to the user.

The weighting scheme can use any rationale or foundation upon which tobase the value assignments. For example, the weights may reflect thedate of origination of the information. The weights can besource-sensitive or source-dependent, in the sense that the weightsreflect the relative value or importance of information depending uponwhere it was obtained. The aim is to provide weights that indicate thedegree of personalization or customization to the user, namely, astrength of association to the user. For example, content from e-mailaccounts will typically have a higher or stronger weight than comparablecontent from advertisements served to the user during the course of anonline experience, since the information contained in e-mails is morelikely to be personalized to the user than ads received by the user.

The numerical weights reflect the degree of value of the information.The user can predetermine the weighting system. Alternately, any otherconventional weighting scheme can be used to implement theprioritization. In one form, similar content retrieved from the localsystem and the remote system are distinguished, via the weightingsystem, so that local data is ranked or rated higher than the remotedata. The rationale for this comparative difference is that informationresident at the user's local environment has perhaps been generated morerecently than information resident at a remote environment, or thatlocal data has a higher degree of signification or representation of theuser compared to remote data.

For example, the location of the user (as determined by the IP address,or determined via GPS data) would be more accurate when obtained fromthe local system than from the remote system, since the local systemwould have the most up to date and correct data. For calendar events,because it is unknown whether the user uses an online calendar or acalendar that is only local to the user's system, the weight is thesame. Both systems will contain data from the user's current calendar,thus it would be assigned the same weight. The user's Internet surfinghistory would have a higher weight from the local system as this iswhere the most up-to-date surfing history is located.

A designer versed in the technology of statistics can ascertain aweighing system more acceptable without deviating from the scope of theinvention.

When results are received from both the local and remote systems,especially ones which pertain to content items associated with the samewebpage component, the assignment scheme depicted in Table 1 aids indetermining the priority of the data. Conflicts may arise, though, ifcontent from different resources receives the same assigned value. Forexample, in Table 1, both Emails and Calendar Events contain the sameweight for both local and remote systems. To resolve this conflict, ifdata is received from both systems, the data with the latest timestampwill be utilized in the application.

Table 1 shows how information is ranked when content obtained from thesame or comparable type of resources is derived from the local systemand remote system. However, in another form, rather than distinguishingbetween local and remote content in this manner, an overall weight issimply assigned to content depending upon the type of resource fromwhich it was retrieved. Table 2 shows one such weighting scheme.

TABLE 2 Weight Ads clicked 6 Ads served 3 Requested 6 Searches Groups 8Joined/Created Emails 10  Calendar Events 10  Surfing 8 Location 9 Games4 Video 6 GPS 9

In Table 2, the assigned weights are associated with the values given tothat particular result in Table 1. In particular, the weight assigned inTable 2 is calculated by adding the two values in Table 1 for each row,i.e., by combining the weights for the local and remote content into asingle value. Although Table 2 does not make an explicit distinctionbetween local and remote content, the combined weight value implicitlyrecognizes such a distinction because the underlying values in theweight calculation are taken from Table 1, where such a distinction isexplicit.

The scheme illustrated in Table 2 can be interpreted, for example, bynoting that when the results are weighted, both Emails and CalendarEvents have the higher weight than other results, as both Emails andCalendar Events are usually two of the higher utilized applications on adaily basis, and would thus contain the most up-to-date data, or thedata reflecting the current “temperature” of the user.

Any type of calculus can be used to determine the weights to assign tocontent retrieved from a particular resource. Again, the notion is thatthe weights for a particular resource reflect the value or meaning ofcontent from this resource, in terms of how indicative content from sucha resource signifies something about the user, relative to the task ofbuilding the webpage. The weights, then, connote the importance orsignificance of the content from a particular source.

Table 3 shows another weighting scheme, in which the calculus fordetermining each value is based on the calculation of:Local Weights×2+Remote WeightsThis scheme weights the results from the local system twice as high asthe weights of the results from the remote system. The result is a valueassignment that reflects a local bias, namely, that content from thelocal system is deemed twice as valuable or meaningful than content fromthe remote system. The local data, then, is deemed more probative of theuser than remote data.

TABLE 3 Weighted Local Ads clicked  8 Ads served  4 Requested  8Searches Groups 12 Joined/Created Emails 15 Calendar Events 15 Surfing14 Location 16 Games  6 Video 10 GPS 16

An alternate scheme might implement a remote bias, such as Table 4,where the calculus for determining each value is based on thecalculation of:Local Weights+Remote Weights×2This scheme weights the results from the remote system twice as high asthe weights of the results from the local system.

TABLE 4 Weighted Remote Ads clicked 10 Ads served  5 Requested 10Searches Groups 12 Joined/Created Emails 15 Calendar Events 15 Surfing10 Location 11 Games  6 Video  8 GPS 12

Any type of weighting system, and underlying basis for designating avalue assignment, can be used to prioritize the results of the contentsearch. The individual value assignments can be based on any factor orcriteria determined to be an indicia of the user, e.g., an indication ofuser interests, behavior, profile, or other feature or characteristic.For example, other types of weights can be determined according to theorigination of the result (local versus remote system), variouscombinations of individual weights, and the time stamp of the results.

For this purpose, it is convenient to map each of the functional areasof the possible results (resources of content) to a symbol. The legendin Table 5 shows one such symbol assignment, where each symbolrepresents the value assigned to content developed from thatcorresponding resource, as determined by the schemes of Tables 1-4, forexample. In this manner, with the symbol acting as a variable, a varietyof equations can be formed, each reflecting a different scenario.

TABLE 5 Symbol Function A Ads clicked B Ads served C Requested SearchesD Groups Joined/Created E Emails F Calendar Events G Surfing History HLocation I Games J Video K GPS

Table 6 shows an illustrative set of equations, employing the symboldesignations of Table 5 to represent the value of the correspondingcontent as determined according to a weighting scheme.

TABLE 6 Equation Description K₁3 + [A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J] GPSlocal times 3 + other data G₁2 + [A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J] SurfingHistory local times 2 + other data (F_(r) + D_(r))2 + [A, B, C, E, G, H,I, J, K] Remote Groups and Calendars × 2 + other data If ([A, B, C, D,E, F, G, H, I, J, K]_(timestimp) <= Data × 2 if 5 days) then [A, B, C,D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K]2 timestamp is recent G₁2 + [A, B, C, D, E, F, G,H, I, J] Surfing history local × 2 + other data (A + K)2 + (A + E) AdsClicked + GPS >> Ads Clicked + Email

An individual equation can be used to generate a composite value thatincorporates the values from a variety of resources, depending upon howthe equation is structured. In the first equation, for example, adecision to emphasize or weight content indicating the user's location(via GPS data) can be implemented by tripling the contribution of theGPS-related content to the overall value of the indicated content items.The other equations reflect different approaches to combining the valuesof various content items, and weighting certain ones with appropriatemultiplicity factors.

The equations can be used in different ways and under a variety ofconditions to facilitate the medium generation process. Certainequations can be associated with certain scenarios, i.e., webpages of aparticular type. For example, if a webpage is being generated havingcomponents that are location-sensitive, then the first equation thatemphasizes GPS-related content may be preferable. Additionally, if theuser's online behavior in the form of surfing history is probative ofthe kind of content that the webpage needs, then the second equationwould appear preferable. The equations can also be used concurrently, sothat depending upon the equation that yields the highest compositevalue, the webpage components will be populated with content itemsassociated with that highest-valued equation.

The calculations in Table 6 are used to create and populate thecomponents on the medium, and to alter components when the system doeseither a scheduled or an automatic update. In one form, the user has theopportunity to customize the weights of the results when creating themedium. A GUI window is provided that allows the user to determine ifspecific results have a higher or lower weight than what the systemoriginally determines.

The system will utilize the customized weights in determining thecontent on the created medium. The user has the opportunity to validatethe results and accept or deny an effort to include certain results inthe created medium. The system has intelligence to override the originalweights, and automatically adjust them according to choices made by theuser when validating components, even if the adjusted weights aredifferent from what the user originally specified.

The GUI window to adjust the weights is always available to the user tomake adjustments, and to determine how the system behaves when decidinghow the results are utilized in creating components in the createdmedium.

Various settings made by the user at the local machine can influence theweight assignments. For example, a ranking protocol may be needed tohandle the lack of data contained in the cookies and/or temporaryinternet files. These files may not contain relevant data due to theability for the user to erase their history via the browser, or toenable “private browsing”. When a user enables private browsing, thelocal system does not store, either cookies or temporary internet files.If a user has private browsing turned on, the local system will notcontain updated cookies or temporary internet files. Thus, when thelocal and remote systems are queried for content, the remote data willbe given a higher weight due to the lack of local data from privatebrowsing or an older timestamp for it.

Various features and capabilities are present in the method and systemto generate a medium, such as a webpage, that is undertaken withoutinvolving the user in the process to collect content.

The application module that serves as the execution platform for thewebpage construction process can be developed on both a web-applicationrunning inside of the user's Internet browser, as well as an applicationon the user's desktop. In the case of the application running in theuser's browser, a pop-up mechanism is in place allowing the system toalert the user to notifications, similar to what the desktop applicationwill allow. This would ensure that notifications could be successfullysent to the user regardless of the platform that the invention isdeveloped.

Apart from the user's specification of the type of medium (webpage), nofurther input from the user is needed to collect content and generatethe requested webpage. Rather than relying on the user to provide inputto attempt to achieve a result (i.e., specify content for building thewebpage), knowledge is gathered from aspects of the user's onlinesurfing history, online behavior and experience, and other places, andthen used to supply content for the medium. By not requiring theinvolvement or interaction of the user to supply content, the process tocollect content and generate the medium can be performed automaticallyand more efficiently. Not only can content be developed without input orselection or determination by the user, but also the layout.

The user can select information regarding the type of webpage that isdesired. These selections will inform the strategy for searching contentresources. Information gathered from this search, such as the user'sprevious online surfing habits, is then used to dynamically create aproposed version of the webpage. The user will have the ability toadjust the dynamically created webpage at that point.

The webpage can be dynamically updated. For example, the webpage can befurther adjusted, in an automated fashion, based on future selectedinformation, future surfing habits by the user, and/or other changes tothe content resources. The user's surfing habits, for example, aremonitored by the application and modifications are presented to the userthat reflects the surfing habits of the user. The user has the option toallow or reject the modifications presented. The same functionality usedto create the webpage is utilized to make the updates.

Many search engines and/or browsers, such as those provided by Google,are aware of a “user's information” such as: location, surfing habits,ads clicked on, groups, connections, calendar events, games played,leagues interested in, college associations, group associations, andvarious others. When the application is creating a webpage, it analyzesthe above information to influence the components that are utilized inthe webpage.

The process and methodology to respond to a user's request toautomatically build a medium has various functional areas.

In particular, one functional module is a process-oriented architecturedirected to generating a medium (webpage) using content derived fromsources reflecting user characteristics/profile, userpreferences/selections, and user online activity (e.g., historicalonline behavior), for example. The process is intelligent in the sensethat content is developed by surveying the user's online experience(usage data) and identifying relevant information, i.e., data that isrelevant to user selections which specify the subject of the webpage.The result is a customized webpage. No user involvement is needed tocollect the content. The process includes a dynamic feature that permitscontinuous updating of the webpage based on new information that arisessubsequent to the prior webpage generation. The process is not limitedto generating only a webpage, but can be extended to composing anyonline medium/platform (e.g., blog).

Another functional module is directed to a search mechanism to identifyand retrieve relevant webpage content. This process-orientedarchitecture involves a search mechanism for conducting an intelligentsearch of user-related information to identify and retrieve data usefulas webpage content. The search mechanism has several features. First, asearch strategy that identifies what and where to search, i.e., searchtargets. Second, an evaluation strategy that determines whetherinformation identified by the search is relevant. The relevancedetermination takes into account the relationship between the data andthe nature of the webpage that is being generated, and employs criteriasuch as a strength-of-association factor. The search strategy can use akeyword search.

Another functional module involves a priority scheme that employs aweighting system to determine webpage content. This process-orientedarchitecture is directed to a weighting system that assigns weights toinformation based on its relevance, e.g., age. The weighted informationestablishes a priority among the information that determines itsvalidity, i.e., the relative value of the information. The priorityresults can be used to determine the order or ranking in which suchinformation is used to populate the content of a webpage beingconstructed. The weight values can depend on any type of criteria, suchas age of the information and place of origination (e.g., local versusremote environment).

Another functional module involves a workflow architecture that managesthe commerce of information used to build a webpage. Thisprocess-oriented architecture is directed to the various protocols,message flows, and communication routes used to retrieve webpagecontent. For example, the message and information traffic can employ aformat or protocol of query-reply exchanges between the user and thelocal system, and between the user and the remote system.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated inthe accompanied drawings and described in the foregoing description, itwill be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodimentsdisclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications, andsubstitutions without departing from the spirit of the invention as setforth and defined by the following claims. For example, the capabilitiesof the invention can be performed fully and/or partially by one or moreof the blocks, modules, processors or memories. Also, these capabilitiesmay be performed in the current manner or in a distributed manner andon, or via, any device able to provide and/or receive information.Further, although depicted in a particular manner, various modules orblocks may be repositioned without departing from the scope of thecurrent invention. Still further, although depicted in a particularmanner, a greater or lesser number of modules and connections can beutilized with the present invention in order to accomplish the presentinvention, to provide additional known features to the presentinvention, and/or to make the present invention more efficient. Also,the information sent between various modules can be sent between themodules via at least one of a data network, the Internet, an InternetProtocol network, a wireless source, and a wired source and viaplurality of protocols.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: receiving a user selectionof at least one of a following medium: a webpage, a blog, a tweetfacility, an instant messaging application, or a social networkingapplication and a type of a selected medium; and automaticallydeveloping content according to the type of the selected medium, whereinthe automatic development of content comprises: identifying suitableresources in a networking environment, the suitable resources comprisingat least one email account, browsing history, online user experience,online user behavior, or online user activity, searching for content inthe identified suitable resources, determining whether the searchedcontent in the identified suitable resources is relevant to the type ofthe selected medium, providing the determined relevant content to theselected medium, continuing to determine whether any content in theidentified suitable resources is relevant to updated user information,and updating the determined content relevant to the updated userinformation to the selected medium.
 2. The method as recited in claim 1,further comprising: using search results from the searching as contentfor the medium.
 3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:collecting any content determined by the searching operation to berelevant; and generating the medium selected by the user using thecollected content.
 4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein thesearching further comprises: employing a keyword search based at leastin part on the user-selected medium.
 5. The method as recited in claim1, further comprising: formulating a search strategy for the searchingoperation based on the user-selected medium.
 6. The method as recited inclaim 1, wherein the automatically developing further comprises:customizing content to at least one of the user and a definition of theselected medium.
 7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein theidentifying further comprises: identifying resources in the networkingenvironment having a relationship to the user.
 8. The method as recitedin claim 1, wherein the identifying further comprises: identifyingresources indicative of at least one of user online experience, useronline behavior, and user online activity.
 9. The method as recited inclaim 1, further comprising: prioritizing search results from thesearching.
 10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein theprioritizing further comprises: assigning a respective weight to eachsearch result item indicating a measure of relative value.
 11. A system,comprising: an input device configured to enable a user to select atleast one of a following medium: a webpage, a blog, a tweet facility, aninstant messaging application, or a social networking application and atype of a selected medium; and a facility configured to: automaticallydevelop content according to the type of the selected medium; identifyresources in the networking environment having content relating to theuser, the resources comprising at least one email account, browsinghistory, online user experience, online user behavior, or online useractivity, search for content in the identified suitable resources;determine whether the searched content in the identified suitableresources is relevant to the medium and the type of the selected medium;provide the determined relevant content to the type of the selectedmedium; continue to determine whether any content in the identifiedsuitable resources is relevant to updated user information; and updatethe determined content relevant to the updated user information to theselected medium.
 12. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein thefacility comprises: a search engine configured to search resourceswithin the networking environment, using the medium definition as searchcriteria.
 13. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the facility isfurther configured to prioritize search results from the search engine.14. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the facility is furtherconfigured to assign a respective weight to each search result itemindicating a measure of relative value.
 15. The system as recited inclaim 11, wherein the facility is further configured to: collect contentfrom at least one of the resources; and develop the content usingcontent collected from at least one of the resources.
 16. Acomputer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructionsthat, when executed, are configured to cause the processor to: receive auser selection of at least one of a following medium: a webpage, a blog,a tweet facility, an instant messaging application, or a socialnetworking application and a type of a selected medium; automaticallydevelop content according to the type of the selected medium; identifyresources in the networking environment having content relating to theuser, the resources comprising at least one of email account, browsinghistory, online user experience, online user behavior, or online useractivity; search for content in the identified suitable resources;determine whether the searched content in the identified suitableresources is relevant to the medium and the type of the selected medium;provide the determined relevant content to the type of the selectedmedium; continue to determine whether any content in the identifiedsuitable resources is relevant to updated user information; and updatethe determined content relevant to the updated user information to theselected medium.
 17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, whereinthe instructions are further configured to cause the processor to:search resources within the networking environment using a mediumspecification of the user as search criteria.
 18. The computer-readablemedium of claim 17, wherein the instructions are further configured tocause the processor to: prioritize search results from the search of theresources.
 19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein theinstructions are further configured to cause the processor to: assign arespective weight to each search result item indicating a measure ofrelative value.
 20. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, whereinthe instructions are further configured to cause the processor to:collect content from at least one of the identified resources; anddevelop the content using content collected from the at least one of theidentified resources.